A Federal High Court in Abuja
heard yesterday how huge sums belonging to pensioners were allegedly diverted
by former Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF) Stephen Oronsaye and former
Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina through phoney contracts.

Maina the court was told ran a
bank account using sms and sending electronic mails.

An operative of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rouqayya Ibrahim ,said pension funds were
allegedly diverted by the duo through various companies.

Rouqayya spoke yesterday while
testifying as a prosecution witness in the trial of Oronsaye, the Managing
Director of Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited, Osarenkhoe Afe and the
company on a 24-count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining money by false
pretence.

They are alleged to have been
involved in contract awards during Oronsaye’s tenure as HoSF.

The prosecution alleged that the
fraud, involving about N2 billion, was allegedly perpetrated using firms like
Cluster Logistic Limited, Kongolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited, Drew Investment and
Construction Company Limited, and Xangee Technologies Limited.

Led in evidence by lead
prosecution lawyer Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), Rouqayya said in the course of
investigation, the EFCC requested for payment mandate from the office of the
Head of Service (HOS).

She said: “We analysed the
mandate, obtained necessary information like bank account numbers, and then
requested for the account statements from the banks,” she said.

She stated that the analysis
revealed a company, Xangee Technologies Limited, which she noted, was already
being tried before Justice Abubakar Talba of the High Court of thr Federal
Capital Territory (FCT), Gudu, for alleged pension fraud.

The witness said: “We discovered
that the company received payment of more than N183 million for biometric
enrolment, but there was no biometric contract executed by the company, instead
the money was withdrawn cash, converted to US dollars and handed over to
Abdulrasheed Maina, through his brother, Khalid Biu.”

She added that three other
companies – Mofshad Ventures, Mofshad Limited and Kombosko Nigeria Limited—
received more than N400 million for non-existent contracts.

The witness said: “We discovered
that the three companies were associated with one Emmanuel Olanipekun, who is
also currently standing trial, and one Chidi, also standing trial, and the
monies were withdrawn in cash with part of it given to Mr. Oronsaye.”

She said investigation of the
pension account in Union Bank showed that there was a letter, instructing that
the money be transferred to another pension account.

“We saw another letter on it, on
which there was a minute and instruction from Mr. Oronsaye, to transfer about
N113 million to a Unity Bank account belonging to the State House, which we
discovered he was the sole-signatory.

“As at the time the transfer was
made in 2010, Mr. Oronsaye had ceased to be the Principal Secretary in the
State House and had become the Head of Service. We discovered that the monies
were withdrawn through cheques, but all efforts to get the person to whom they
were issued to, was unsuccessful, and Mr. Oronsaye could not explain the reason
for the disbursement,” the witness said.

She said: “There was also another
account in the name of Abdulrasheed Maina, and his brother, Biu, an employee of
the bank, who opened the accounts and was the account officer.”

She added that after Biu resigned from the bank, another
employee, Toyin Meseke, took over as the account officer.

The witness said: “We invited him
for an interview and discovered that all the accounts were operated by
Abdulrasheed Maina, even though his name, picture and signature were not
anywhere in the opening account packages.”

She said Maina operated the
account mainly through text messages and emails, as “instructions regarding
payment or withdrawal were sent to Meseke by text or email”.

Rouqayya said forensic analysis
of Meseke’s phone was carried out, which revealed how funds were fraudulently
diverted from the account. She added: ”The account officer will, after
receiving instruction from Maina, convert the money to US dollars and deliver
same to him in Dubai.”

According to her, Maina, a former
Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, remained at large. She said Maina never showed up in the course
of investigations, and deserted his known residence.

Earlier, Jacobs tendered three
statements made to EFCC’s investigators by Oronsaye, during the course of
investigations. The statements were identified by Ibrahim and admitted in
evidence by the court when defence lawyers, Joe Agi (for Oronsaye) and Oluwole
Aladedoye (for Afe and his company) failed to object.